A “ring of fire” will soon appear in the skies over some parts of the world. An annular solar eclipse will create this spectacular sight over parts of South America on Wednesday.
Tomorrow, Oct. 2, Hawaii and parts of South America will experience a solar eclipse!
It will either be partial – when the Moon blocks a part of the Sun – or annular, when the Moon passes in front of the Sun to form a “ring of fire,” depending on your location. 👇 pic.twitter.com/d4kMwXktlS
— NASA Sun & Space (@NASASun) October 1, 2024
Annular solar eclipses occur when the moon passes between Earth and the sun while the moon is at or near its farthest point in its orbit from Earth.
Coming tomorrow, "South America's annular 'Ring of Fire' eclipse." Guide from Astronomy Now. Image Kevin Baird. https://t.co/3oCEUPWDKO pic.twitter.com/yiseFztTJ2
— David Blanchflower BSc (@DavidBflower) October 1, 2024
This distance prevents the moon from completely blocking the sun, resulting in the sun’s fiery light surrounding the moon’s shadow. The annular eclipse is set to begin at 12:50 p.m. ET and end at 4:39 p.m. ET. The path will start about 1,056 miles (1,700 kilometers) southwest of Hawaii and move southwest.
🌖 A #SolarEclipse, also known as the #RingOfFire, will be visible across the skies above South America and the Pacific later today ⭕ @KingstonECE PhD candidate Tamsin Mynett explains to @ConversationUK what eclipses are and what onlookers might see 😎 https://t.co/6OypFflQ0X
— Kingston University (@KingstonUni) October 2, 2024
The eclipse is expected to peak at 2:45 p.m. ET over the ocean, where the moon’s shadow will obscure the sun for just over seven minutes. The annular eclipse will first be visible overland on the remote island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, at 3:07 p.m. ET, with a duration of six minutes and 23 seconds. The phenomenon will then reach Chile’s Patagonian coast at 4:22 p.m. ET, becoming visible in the Andes and later in Argentina a few minutes afterward, before appearing over the South Atlantic Coast at 4:27 p.m. ET.
A partial eclipse will be visible north of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia at 4:36 p.m. ET.
Ring of fire eclipse timing
It’s never safe to look directly at the sun without specialized protection.
No phase of an annular eclipse is safe to view with the naked eye because the sun’s light is never completely blocked. Use certified eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer to observe the annular eclipse safely. If you don’t have these, you can use a telescope, binoculars, or a camera fitted with a special solar filter on the front.
Remember not to look through any optical device while wearing eclipse glasses or a handheld solar viewer, as concentrated solar rays can still cause severe eye damage. Beyond the solar eclipse, sky-gazers can look forward to several celestial events. The next full lunar event, the hunter’s moon, will occur on October 17 and will be a supermoon, the closest of the year at 222,095 miles (357,428 kilometers) from Earth.
Later in the year, the beaver moon will occur on November 15, followed by the cold moon on December 15. Meteor shower enthusiasts can also anticipate a busy season to close out 2024, with the Draconids on October 7-8, the Orionids on October 20-21, the Southern Taurids on November 4-5, the Northern Taurids on November 11-12, the Leonids on November 17-18, the Geminids on December 13-14, and the Ursids on December 21-22. Be sure to mark your calendars and enjoy these astronomical events safely.
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